Challenge

Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. This growth was precipitated by decades of thoughtful and strategic transportation and land use planning, and has continued momentum through the design and implementation of multimodal infrastructure to support significant transit corridors.

In addition to looking at immediate projects that will improve connectivity across the city, the City of Charlotte continues to move forward on long-range light rail planning. Currently, the LYNX Blue Line provides light rail service north to south. The City is now planning for its next rail line, the LYNX Silver Line, which will provide the east to west link.

Solution

Kittelson is working with the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to lead a multi-faceted transit-oriented development (TOD) study along Charlotte’s proposed Silver Line, a 26-mile, multi-jurisdictional light rail line. The study includes evaluating development scenarios for station areas, assessing affordable housing and economic building strategies, and identifying key multimodal infrastructure needed to maximize the reach of the stations. We are now working with CATS to develop station area plans for seven stations along the corridor, integrating transit-oriented development and transportation connectivity to the stations.